TRENTON, N.J. – Pork roll, competitive eaters and a day along the Delaware River come together Saturday when RiverFest returns to Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
Admission and parking are free for the Sept. 12 fall festival, which includes boat rides, hayrides, live music, seasonal craft beer, games and activities throughout the ballpark. The day ends with a distinctly Trenton competition: the 10th annual Trenton Thunder World Famous Case’s Pork Roll Eating Championship.
And yes, there will be plenty of pork roll before the contest even starts.
RiverFest Brings Fall Festival to the Delaware River
RiverFest is built around the Delaware River and a traditional fall festival atmosphere, but the setting isn’t a farm or downtown street fair.
It’s a ballpark.
The home of the Trenton Thunder will be filled with activities for children and adults, with local bands providing live music throughout the day. Boat rides offer visitors a chance to get out on the water, while hayrides and games add the autumn side of the festival.
Seasonal craft beers will also be available.
Food gets a particularly local twist. Festival menus will feature products from Case’s Pork Roll, the Trenton-founded company whose history stretches back to the 19th century.
Pork roll’s identity is serious business in New Jersey, especially around Mercer County, where the Case family began producing it in Trenton.
RiverFest leans directly into that history.
Competitive Eaters Take on Case’s Pork Roll
By the end of the festival, eating pork roll stops being lunch and becomes competition.
The 10th annual Case’s Pork Roll Eating Championship will bring competitive eaters to the ballpark for a 10-minute contest to see who can put away the most.
It’s the finale to RiverFest and one of the more unusual annual food competitions held in New Jersey.
Before that begins, visitors can move between the rides, music, food and activities at their own pace. Organizers describe the event as an all-ages festival, with the free admission making it possible to visit without purchasing an event ticket.
RiverFest is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bristol Myers Squibb, Capital Health, PSE&G, Horizon Disposal Services and Miracle League of Mercer County.
Trenton Thunder Opens Ballpark for Free Festival
The Trenton Thunder have spent more than three decades at the ballpark along the Delaware River, drawing more than 11 million fans during the franchise’s history.
The organization says it has also provided more than $9.8 million in goods, services and monetary donations through its Grand Slam Foundation.
On Saturday, baseball takes a back seat.
RiverFest will be held at Trenton Thunder Ballpark, 1 Thunder Road. Visitors can park free in the lots adjacent to the stadium, and there is no charge to enter the festival.
That leaves food, drinks and whatever else visitors decide to buy once they’re inside.
For families looking for something to do this weekend in Central Jersey, RiverFest also lands on the same Saturday that fall attractions begin opening around the state — even though summer doesn’t officially end for another week.
In Trenton, they’re getting an early start.
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